Instructions: These are the questions you need to answer….
Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
Choose at least 3 of the vague social work problems from the Table below;
For each of the vague social work problems that you chose, develop one social work problem statement using the three components above;
Vague Social Work Problems
Females Struggling with Anorexia
Adolescents Experiencing Major Depression
Homelessness and Mental Illness
Couples who are Receiving Marriage Counseling
Parolees Struggling with Finding Employment
Pregnant Mothers Struggling with Depression
Older Adults Struggling with Dementia
Children Experiencing Bullying
Immigrants Experiencing Isolation
The three I want done is……… 1.) Adolescents Experiencing Major Depression 2.) Couples who are Receiving Marriage Counseling….. 3.) Children Experiencing Bullying
Just a example down below…….
For this first discussion board of the course, start to think about and then decide on a social work problem that you would like to know more about. This social work problem that you decide to focus on will be the foundation for the remainder of this course and the following SWK662 course.
In the past, most students decided to focus on a social work problem and population of clients that they already work or intern with. For example, if you are currently working or interning in an agency that helps adult males struggling with drug addiction, then you would likely want to focus on this population for your social work problem (the social work problem here would be drug addiction).
If you are currently not employed, do not have an internship site, or just want another option, then you are more than welcome to choose a hypothetical situation for your social work problem.
At this point in the research process, it is easy to identify a social work problem that is too vague. Let’s take a look at some past examples in the Table below and review both columns. The left column includes social work problems that are too vague, and the right column includes social work problems that are more specific.
Vague Social Work Problems
More Specific Social Work Problems
Males Struggling with Drug Addiction
Adolescent Males Receiving Inpatient Treatment for Drug Addiction at an Agency in Houston, Texas
Females Struggling with Suicidal Behavior
Adult Females Receiving Outpatient Treatment for Suicidal Behavior at an Agency in Portland, Oregon
Adults who are Receiving Employment Services
Unemployed Adults who are Receiving Employment Services at an Agency in Orange County, New York
Teenagers with Autism
Teenage Males and Females with Autism between the ages of 13 and 17 Receiving Socialization Treatment at an Agency in Indianapolis, Indiana.
From the above Table, you can probably see how vague the social work problems are in the left column. As a matter of fact, all the social work problems in this left column are not only vague but lack one important component. Can you see it? If you look at the right column, you should be able to see that each social work problem also includes an “agency” component. This agency component is very important, because as you move forward with this course and then SWK662, you will need to evaluate a program or client within an agency. Therefore, identifying the agency that you plan to focus on early is very important, and as I mentioned earlier, the agency that you focus on will most likely be your place of employment or internship.
As a matter of fact, an effective social work problem statement needs to have three components that include:
Component #1: A social work problem (e.g., drug addiction, suicidal behavior, or autism);
Component #2: A client population (e.g., adolescent males, adult females or unemployed adults);
Component #3: An agency (e.g. inpatient treatment from an agency in Houston, Texas)
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
Analyze quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings (PLO 4; ILO 6)
Synthesize information from a variety of sources to purposefully plan and develop a research practice focus (PLO 4; ILO 6)
Assess feedback from consultants to guide professional judgement in research (PLO 4; ILO 6)